BRUNER'S
CONSTRUCTIVIS
T THEORY
In this Module, challenge yourself to
attain the following learning outcomes:
•describe the development of the
child's ability to represent knowledge
•explain how the spiral curriculum
works.
Introduction
Jerome Bruner was one of the first
proponents of constructivism. A major
theme in the theory of Bruner is that
learning is an active process in which
learners construct new ideas or
concepts based upon their
current/past knowledge.
Bruner's Main Concepts
Representation of knowledge
1. Enactive representation- At the earliest ages,
children learn about the world through actions on
physical objects and the outcomes of sensation of them.
2. Iconic representation - This second stage is when
learning can be obtained through using models and
pictures.
[Link] representation In this third stage, the
learner has developed the ability to think in abstract
terms. This uses symbol system to encode knowledge.
Spiral curriculum
Bruner stressed that teaching should always
lead to boosting cognitive development.
Students will not understand the concept if
teachers plan to teach it using only the
teacher's level of understanding. Instruction
needs to be anchored on the learners'
cognitive capabilities.
In a spiral curriculum, teachers must revisit
the curriculum by teaching the same
content in different ways depending on
students' developmental levels. This is why
certain topics are initially presented in grade
school in a manner appropriate for grade
schoolers, and then the same topic is
tackled in high school, but on a much
deeper level.
The K to 12 curriculum in the Philippines requires
the use of the spiral progression approach, as
mandated by RA 10533. This approach means
that key concepts in subjects like Math (Algebra,
Geometry, Statistics, Trigonometry) and Science
(Biology, Chemistry, Physics) are taught
repeatedly from one grade level to the next,
starting with simple ideas and gradually
increasing in depth and complexity.
Discovery learning
This refers to a method where students obtain knowledge for
themselves through exploration and investigation. The
teacher's role is to plan and structure activities that guide
students to discover principles and solutions, rather than
presenting the information directly.
Example In elementary school, teachers can use guided
discovery to teach animal groups. Instead of giving the
categories outright, the teacher asks students to name
animals and then helps them classify them by examining
similarities and differences.
Bruner (1966) states that a theory of instruction
should address four major aspects:
1. Predisposition to learn. He introduced the
ideas of "readiness for learning". Bruner believed
that any subject could be taught at any stage of
development in a way that fits the child's cognitive
abilities.
2. Structure of Knowledge. This refers to the
ways in which a body of knowledge can be
structured so that it can be most readily grasped
by the learner.
[Link] sequencing. No one sequencing will hit
every learner, but it general, the lesson can be
presented in increasing difficulty. Sequencing, or lack of
it, can make learning easier or more difficult.
4. Reinforcement. Rewards and punishments should
be selected and pace appropriately. He investigated
motivation for learning. He felt that ideally interest in the
subject matter is the best stimulus for learning.
Categorization
Bruner gave much attention to
categorization of information in the
construction of internal cognitive maps. He
believed that perception, conceptualization,
learning, decision making and making
inferences all involved categorization.
Categories are "rules" that specify four thing
about object.
The four things are given below:
[Link] attributes - required characteristics for inclusion of an object in
a category. (Example, for an object to be included in the category "car" it
must have an engine, 4 wheels, and be a possible means of
transportation,
2. The second rule prescribes how the criterial attributes are combined
3. The third rule assigns weight to various properties. (Example, it could
be a car even if a tire was missing, and if it was used for hauling car it
would be shifted to a different category of "truck" or perhaps "van"
4. The fourth rule sets acceptance limits on attributes. Some attributes
can vary widely, such as color. Others are fixed. For example a vehicle
without an engine is not a car. Likewise, a vehicle with only two wheels
would not be included in "car".
There are several kinds of categories:
1. Identity categories - categories include objects
based on their attributes or features.
2. Equivalent categories (provide rules for combining
categories). Equivalence can be determined by
affective criteria, which render objects equivalent by
emotional reactions, functional criteria, based on
related functions.
3. Coding systems are categories that serve to
recognize sensory input. They are major organizational
variables in higher cognitive functioning.
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